We live in strange times for developers. Until recently, our worth was often measured in hours spent deciphering cryptic documentation, fighting with dependencies, or figuring out why an API endpoint had suddenly changed its format.
Today, I received definitive proof that the paradigm has shifted.
Instead of wasting the afternoon configuring the new Google Places API, thanks to Gemini 3, I went for a relaxing walk in the park.
The Challenge: A New Feature To Implement
It all started with a seemingly simple task: integrate the new version of the Google Places API into my project. Anyone who has worked with Google Maps APIs knows that the transition from "Legacy" to "New" isn't just a version upgrade; it is a shift in philosophy.
The official documentation is vast, sure, but scattered. It talks about enabling the project on Cloud Platform, configuring billing, handling OAuth authentication (no longer just a simple API Key in all cases), and, most importantly, understanding the logic of Field Masks. With the new client library, you can’t just call an endpoint: you must specify exactly which fields you want back to optimize costs and performance.
If you mess up the mask, the API rejects you or, worse, charges you for data you don't use.
In a "classic" afternoon a few months ago, I would have opened ten browser tabs: the Quick Start guide, Stack Overflow, and maybe a few YouTube tutorials. I would have wasted an hour just setting up the environment and figuring out why the library couldn't see my credentials.
The Intervention of Gemini 3 and Antigravity
Instead of opening the documentation, I opened Antigravity, Google's new "agentic" development environment. I typed a dry, almost conversational prompt:
"I need to call the new Google Places API. Build me a client that searches for nearby places and handles Field Masks correctly."
Here is where the magic happened. I didn't just get a code snippet to copy-paste (and then debug). Gemini 3, integrated into Antigravity, acted as a true pair programmer.
- Immediate Setup: It understood and suggested the commands avoiding system conflicts.
- Production-Ready Code: It wrote the script using the correct library,
google-maps-places(rather than the old genericgooglemaps). It implemented the Field Masks logic (places.displayName,places.formattedAddress,places.priceLevel) without me having to hunt for the exact field names in the JSON schema. - The Final Touch: The initial implementation had one small problem regarding Field Masks. So I ran the program and debugged it the old-fashioned way. After a few tries, I fixed the issues.
The Result: Free Time
In less than 15 minutes, the code was running. Clean results, fast calls, zero headaches.
What was supposed to be a task taking "a solid hour plus unforeseen issues" turned into a productive coffee break.
The real revolution of tools like Gemini 3 isn't that they write code for us. It’s that they remove friction. They eliminate that frustrating phase of "reading documentation just to figure out how to do Hello World." They allow us to jump straight to business logic, to the real value we want to create.
Today, this approach changed my day, giving me some free time. Instead of staring at a screen trying to figure out the difference between "FindPlace" and "TextSearch", I took a walk in nature and felt the fresh air on my face.
The rise of tools like Gemini 3, integrated into environments like Antigravity, signifies a profound shift: from battling syntax and obscure configurations to embracing a collaborative partnership with AI. This new era promises not just efficiency, but a more human-centric development experience, where technology truly serves to free our minds, allowing us to enjoy a walk in the park instead of being chained to the terminal.
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I hope you enjoyed this article, until next time 👋
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